1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ear piercing system capable of inserting odd shaped decorative headed earrings having stud piercers with stepped shafts of various thicknesses or straight post piercers. A disposable cartridge retains a stud or straight post earring in a spring actuated ear piercing instrument. A locking clutch within another cartridge engages the earring shaft.
Previous ear piercing instruments have been limited to either stud piercers or straight posted piercers. Stud earrings have been used with solid shaped essentially round profiles machined to form a stepped post. The smaller diameter portion includes the piercing point and the larger diameter portion holding the decorative head forms a larger hole in the ear than conventional straight post piercers. Examples of such prior art piercing devices are found in the following patents.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,060 to Aue discloses a spring actuated is ear lobe piercing device using a cartridge having flexible jaws at the exit end which retain the stud. The jaws expand outwardly and break off due to the pressure of the symmetrical head of the stud.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,470 to Mann discloses an ear lobe piercing instrument containing a horizontally slidable releasable stud cartridge containing two stepped studs and a horizontally slidable releasable clutch capsule holding two capsules. Each stud is retained in a capsule and driven from its container by a spring operated plunger. The cartridge and capsule are then displaced horizontally for the second piercing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,434 to Mann discloses a manually operated stud piercer in which two stepped studs and clutches are disposed horizontally. After the first stud is engaged, a switchable button on the side of the instrument is depressed to move the plunger push rod to the adjacent stud for piercing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,514 to Durham discloses a cartridge for an ear piercing apparatus including a clasp holding member of a stud assembly and a stud holding member, complimentary guides to facilitate longitudinal movement of the members, a slot within the clasp holding member for receipt of the clasp, and retaining means for engagement with the clasp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,343 to Reil discloses an ear piercing instrument with an earring and nut in opposing jaws. Hand squeezing causes a frangible tab to break and accelerate the earring to pierce the ear lobe and engage the earring jaw. A flexible tang expels the earring cartridge. A flexible finger holds the lower curl spring of the earring nut in place until the ear is pierced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,993 to Blomdahl et al concerns an ear piercing apparatus including a pistol having a disposable cassette, a hand grip and a spring biased plunger. The cassette includes a stud housing cooperating with the plunger and a back clasp housing. A guide member extends from the back clasp and passes through the stud housing. A positioning means and lever provide axial movement of the stud and back clasp housings. The pistol ejects the stud to penetrate the ear lobe and engage the clasp, with the spent cassette being removed and discarded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,665 to Mann discloses a spring operated ear piercing instrument having a rotatable stud cartridge with two studs and a rotatable clutch cartridge with two clutches. A stepped stud is retained by a stop. Actuation of a spring plunger drives a first stud through the ear and into the first clutch. The cartridges containing the next stud and clutch are rotated 180.degree. for alignment with the plunger for the next insertion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,057 to Blomdahl concerns an ear piercing by, apparatus having a slidable clutch assembly which ensures that an attachment position of the clutch on the piercing pin is adjusted to the thickness of the ear. The position of the clutch can be locked prior to ejecting the pin into the clutch. The ear piercing pin has an enlarged head portion tailored to the shape of the inside of an openable holder to firmly hold the head during the piercing. The holder front is opened by a chamfered edge on the clutch assembly. Jaw members on the holder may engage the edge to open the jaws.
While many variations of ear piercing devices are known, these have generally been quite complex, difficult to use, subject to contamination and limited in the type of stud or post and design of the decorative earring that can be employed.